Shoshanna's
All you ever wanted to know about semicolons

Basically, there are two ways to use a semicolon. Um, two correct ways :-). The first is to separate two complete clauses (clauses that could stand alone as sentences) that have been joined into one sentence, when a conjunction is not used. Here's an example:

Mulder was shocked. He hadn't expected Skinner to have a Prince Albert piercing. [two sentences, standing apart]

Mulder was shocked, because he hadn't expected Skinner to have a Prince Albert piercing. [two complete clauses, joined by a comma and a conjunction]

Mulder was shocked; he hadn't expected Skinner to have a Prince Albert piercing. [two complete clauses, joined by a semicolon]

*Mulder was shocked, he hadn't expected Skinner to have a Prince Albert piercing. [two complete clauses, joined WRONGLY by a comma; run-on sentence]

Why did I use a semicolon in that last parenthetical remark? Well, I think it's separating two elliptical complete clauses; that is, you know and I know that what I'm really saying is "these are two complete sentences . . . ; this is a run-on sentence." Using a comma between them would make it feel like a run-on to me.

There's some debate about whether it's legitimate to begin a sentence with a conjunction. I think it is, except perhaps in formal writing (which virtually no fanfic is, after all), so IMO it is legitimate to join two complete clauses with a semicolon and a conjunction:

Mulder was shocked; but he kind of liked it.

It's a matter of authorial voice and style; the semicolon sounds different to me than a comma would in the same place, though the comma would also be correct. More specifically, the semicolon creates a larger pause, so this punctuation stresses Mulder's shock more than using a comma would, and implies that the shock lasts longer before Mulder realizes that he kind of likes Skinner's Prince Albert. "Mulder was shocked, but he kind of liked it" almost breezes past the shock, in contrast.

The semicolon is also used, like a comma, to separate items in a list. It's usually used when the items in the list have commas within them, so that it would be confusing to separate them with commas as well.

Mulder had screwed Skinner in Boise, Idaho; Valdosta, Georgia; and Sioux Falls, South Dakota; and he was looking forward to screwing him in good old Washington, D.C.

It would also be correct to use commas there (it would depend on house style, or in this case author or publisher preference). In this case, commas would still be reasonably clear to most Americans, at least (most Americans will know that that's a list of three places, not six), but consider a sentence like this one, and you'll see why using semicolons is a help:

Mulder's sexual encounters in the last year had consisted of masturbation and oral sex, oral sex, finger fucking, and some rimming, oral sex and water sports, water sports, water sports and intercourse, and a disappointing night of impotence.

Punctuate it like this, and it's clear that six separate encounters are being described:

Mulder's sexual encounters in the last year had consisted of masturbation and oral sex; oral sex, finger fucking, and some rimming; oral sex and water sports; water sports; water sports and intercourse; and a disappointing night of impotence.

Make sense?

Of course it does! Back to the rest of Fanfic peeves.